Written questions by Hussain.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the electricity distribution network in Bradford and West Yorkshire to support new commercial and industrial connections.

We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support new commercial and industrial connections and are working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the investment at the scale and pace required. For the current distribution price control, RIIO‑ED2, Ofgem has allowed £22.2 billion for upfront network investment, including £3.1 billion for network upgrades. The next price control starting in 2028, ED3, will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans to enable long‑term, strategic investment driven by regional and local energy requirements.

What steps his Department is taking to support local energy efficiency and demand reduction measures for commercial premises in Bradford.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are in place for non-domestic buildings, meaning that most non-domestic properties cannot be leased with an Energy Performance Certificate below band E. This Department consulted on strengthening these standards and will publish the response in due course. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants of £7500 towards the cost of purchasing and installing heat pumps. The Government also funds the UK Business Climate Hub, an online resource supporting Small and Medium Enterprises reduce their energy use. Specific funding is available through Bradford Council’s Local Industrial Decarbonisation Project and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Business Sustainability Support.

What plans his Department has to provide funding for low-carbon hydrogen production and use in West Yorkshire.

The UK Government is supporting electrolytic hydrogen production projects through the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs). Projects that were successful in the first allocation round (HAR1) are now moving through to the final investment decision, construction and operation phases. In total, they are expected to unlock around £400 million of private investment and create over 600 direct jobs. This includes Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen, located in Bradford city centre, which will produce hydrogen for diggers and buses. Published subsidy award details for this project include approximately £13 million in grant funding and around £400 million under the Hydrogen Production Business Model. The exact amount of funding will depend on the hydrogen produced at the site over a 15-year period. We will seek feedback on the proposed design and delivery of the third hydrogen allocation round (HAR3) through a market engagement exercise in early 2026.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding local renewable energy generation in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that community energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. On 10 February 2026, we announced the Local Power Plan: a joint DESNZ-Great British Energy (GBE) publication setting out the UK’s largest ever public investment in community energy, up to £1 billion. GBE has funded rooftop solar for around 250 schools and 260 NHS sites. This is cutting bills for schools and hospitals, releasing money for frontline services. This includes Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford. GBE has also funded over £16 million to the Mayoral Renewables Fund, supporting solar on fire stations, leisure centres, police headquarters and schools across England. This includes Bradford Pool and Sports Centre in Bradford East. The Great British Energy Community Fund, a £5 million grant programme delivered by the five Local Net Zero Hubs, has supported projects in West Yorkshire. This includes the Sustainable Arts Centre in Leeds.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for new grid connections for businesses in West Yorkshire.

The Department is working closely with Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator, and the network companies on a suite of reforms to improve grid access and reduce connection times across Great Britain, including West Yorkshire. This includes reforming the connections queue to prioritise projects that are ready and needed, strategically planning and accelerating network investment, and addressing wider barriers to speed up new grid infrastructure build such as planning delays, and skills and supply chain constraints.

What recent progress her Department has made in meeting the targets set out in the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan; and what assessment she has made of the implications of current progress for households in high-poverty areas such as Bradford East.

The government’s Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan set out how the UK will reduce emissions and benefit from lower bills, skilled jobs, warmer homes and cleaner air. We are working across government on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan, which will be a major step forward to cut energy bills for good. Scaling up new clean energy industries will create opportunities to actively reduce inequalities and create good jobs. We will continue to invest in clean low-cost energy. Our approach to the transition is built on fairness, ensuring everyone reaps the benefits and that no one is left behind.

How much funding has been allocated to clean energy and green industrial projects in West Yorkshire since July 2024; and what steps she is taking to ensure that Bradford benefits from those investments.

Since July 2024, over £52 billion of private investment has already been announced into the UK’s clean energy industries for projects and plans over the coming years. Recent projects supported by Government include two district heat networks in West Yorkshire which have received funding from the Local Net Zero Accelerator programme, Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 benefitting projects like the Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen project and GBE placing solar panels on NHS sites in Bradford and beyond. As part of the Industrial Strategy, the Government is committed to devolving significant powers to Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) across England, giving them the tools they need to grow their sectoral clusters and improve the local business environment. Local Growth Plans are a cornerstone of the place-based approach. These locally owned, 10-year strategies will set out how MCAs will use their devolved powers and funding to drive growth in their region.

If she will publish regional breakdowns of households spending more than 20 per cent of disposable income on energy, including figures for Bradford, as part of the annual Fuel Poverty Statistics.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is currently reviewing our approach to affordability metrics, following the consultation published earlier this year on the review of the fuel poverty strategy. We will provide further updates in our upcoming fuel poverty strategy.

Whether her Department plans to increase funding to local authorities such as Bradford Council to support the delivery of local home retrofit and insulation programmes as part of the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.

As set out in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, the Government is committed to working in partnership with local places like Bradford to deliver net zero, and is pursuing policies which upgrade homes with more efficient clean energy technologies, cut bills and deliver warmer homes. This includes our planned £13.2bn investment in the Warm Homes Plan, which aims to upgrade up to 5 million homes over this Parliament and cut energy bills for good. Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be announced soon.

What recent assessment she has made of the level of fuel poverty in Bradford; and what steps her Department is taking to support households spending more than a quarter of their income on energy bills.

In 2023, 18.7% of households in the Bradford East parliamentary constituency were estimated to be in fuel poverty. It is imperative that fuel poor homes benefit from the transition to net zero. We are working across government on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan for households to cut energy bills for good and will publish more details soon. We will upgrade up to 5 million homes across the country, including those in Bradford, and the transition to warmer, decarbonised homes. This will include support for the most vulnerable to help slash fuel poverty. There are multiple targeted schemes in place to deliver energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating to low income and fuel poor households. Schemes include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, and the new Warm Homes: Local Grant. Support is also available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with £150 off their winter energy bill. We are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from this winter around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.

What steps she is taking to end the higher standing charges paid by prepayment meter users; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of that inequality on low-income families in Bradford East.

Since 1 April 2024, under the price cap, Ofgem has levelised standing charges for prepayment meter and direct debit customers and implemented a process of cost reconciliation for suppliers. This reduces the standing charges of consumers with prepayment meters, while each direct debit consumer pays more than they would have otherwise done. This ends the inequity of people with prepayment meters, many of whom are vulnerable, being charged more up-front for their energy than other consumers. The Government knows too much of the burden of the energy bill is placed on standing charges. We are working with Ofgem to address this.

What estimate she has made of the additional annual cost to households in Bradford caused by delays in delivering large-scale home insulation programmes since 2019.

No estimates have been made on the delays of home insulation programmes since 2019. We know improving the energy efficiency of our homes is an important step in reducing fuel poverty. There are several government energy efficiency schemes and households can access the government's home retrofit tool on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), which allows users to get tailored recommendations for home improvements that could make their property cheaper to heat and keep warm. This government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan will transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps. We will publish more details soon.

How many homes in Bradford East are expected to benefit from the Government’s Warm Homes Plan; and what estimate she has made of the average annual saving per household from those upgrades.

The Government is working on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan for households, including those in Bradford, to cut energy bills for good and will publish more details soon.

When his Department was first made aware of systemic failings in (a) the Fishwick project in Preston and (b) other government-backed insulation schemes; and what steps have been taken to investigate and rectify those failures.

Ofgem was first made aware of concerns with insulation issues in Fishwick in 2013 and they engaged with the energy supplier responsible to secure remediation. Since then, National Energy Action (NEA) have led remediation schemes to support residents but we understand that there are still homes needing remediation. DESNZ has been in contact with NEA. ECO4 / GBIS non-compliance issues were alerted to DESNZ in October 2024. Since that date thousands of additional audits have taken place and any issues are being fixed. We have offered an audit to all homes fitted with EWI under these schemes.

What financial or practical support is available to homeowners whose properties have been damaged by poorly installed insulation under government schemes; and whether he plans to establish a dedicated compensation or remediation fund for such properties.

The cost of remediation sits with the original installer. For every measure installed under TrustMark schemes, a guarantee is required to be in place. If the installer is no longer trading, then the guarantee policy will kick in up to the cap for that policy. For SWI the cap is £20k. In rare cases where the costs exceed the cap, the Department will continue to facilitate solutions with organisations across the sector. As part of our reforms, we will be improving protections for consumers, ensuring, in the rare cases they are needed, financial protection products fully protect consumers and it’s clear how consumers get the help they need.

What assessment his Department has made of the public health impact of prolonged exposure to damp and mould caused by defective insulation installed under government energy-efficiency schemes.

Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and warm home. Damp and mould can have a serious impact on the health of residents. The audits the Department has commissioned into Solid Wall Insulations on ECO4 and GBIS schemes consider risks to health and safety and where any such risk is identified, we require the installer to make it safe within 24 hours. For government schemes, it is the responsibility of the installer to fix any defective installation and if they cease to trade, then the guarantee for that work can be exercised by the householder.

How future home energy efficiency programmes are planned to be independently audited to ensure quality assurance and prevent a recurrence of widespread installation failures such as those identified in Fishwick and Chilton.

The Government is reviewing the system of consumer protection and oversight for home retrofit installations, and is committed to creating a simpler, stronger system of standards and oversight that will give consumers confidence. We will look at the entire landscape: from how installers work in people’s homes to where homeowners turn for rapid action and enforcement if things go wrong. More information will be shared in our Warm Homes Plan. The Government is planning to consult on proposals for retrofit system reform early next year.

What assessment his Department has made of the disproportionate effect of failed insulation schemes on low-income households targeted by previous government energy-efficiency programmes.

ECO has installed measures in 2.6m households. ECO4 was designed to address deep fuel poverty by addressing the worst properties first. When installed correctly, insulation can help reduce energy costs.DESNZ has acknowledged there have been quality failings with SWI measures installed under the current ECO4 and GBIS schemes. As a result, we have committed to a property level check, followed by remediation of any issues found, for all households fitted with EWI under those schemes.Our Warm Homes Plan will outline the full package of measures proposed to support those on low-income and get people out of fuel-poverty.

Whether his Department has worked with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to assess the implications of insulation-related building damage on housing safety and standards.

The Government is committed to ensuring building work is done to the highest levels of quality and safety, be that in new builds, high rise or the home retrofit space such as Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme / Great British Insulation Scheme. The Department is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Building Safety Regulator on reforms to the consumer protection system to improve accountability and support higher-quality installations including addressing the issues identified in the NAO report pertaining to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme.

What mechanisms are in place to hold contractors and installers accountable for poor workmanship on government-backed insulation schemes in cases where the original firms have since ceased trading.

We have been clear that the original installer is responsible for remediating issues with their work and for the costs of doing so. Where an installer ceases to trade or in some cases fails to rectify an issue, TrustMark require a guarantee to have been issued which for SWI will cover up to £20k. We are working with Ofgem, TrustMark, certification bodies, energy suppliers and guarantee providers to encourage businesses to fulfil their responsibilities. Where installers refuse to engage with remediation requests, TrustMark and certification bodies can suspend or remove their certifications. This prevents them being awarded any new work.